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Wayne County Sheriff's Office buys back hundreds of guns from residents

Posted at 4:41 PM, Jun 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-11 23:32:52-04

Thanks to a $25,000 donation, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office was able to buy back hundreds of guns from residents ready to unload.

No questions asked, $50 for a gun--that's an offer the Wayne County Sheriff's Office has made before, but this buyback was different.

The Mathis Community Center parking lot looked like an armory, but Judge Greg Mathis doesn't mind, because the guns are for future accessories, not an arsenal. 

The guns collected today will be melted and turned into jewelry.

It's a first-of-its-kind buyback program for Wayne County - created by jewelry designer Jessica Mindich.

Mindich donated $25,000 to the sheriff's office, which translated into the ability to buy back 500 guns. 

"We make bracelets and they have the serial numbers of the guns we've been able to take off the streets," said Mindich.

It's called The Caliber Collection - jewelry is made from melted shell casings and guns. A portion of the sales is used to fund gun buyback programs all over the country, including this one.